OTTAWA – The House of Commons ethics watchdog has cleared International Development Minister Christian Paradis of conflict of interest allegations.

Quebec NDP MP Guy Caron had asked Mary Dawson to investigate allegations that Paradis lobbied another minister to have a federal jobs centre moved from Rimouski in Eastern Quebec, into his own riding in the south central part of the province.

The jobs centre was to be moved into a building owned by one of Paradis’s long-time family friends, Ghislain Dionne, who worked in a law firm with the minister’s father.

“He has known Christian Paradis for many years and lives a few doors away from him,” Dawson wrote in her report.

But in her report, Dawson, the conflict of interest and ethics commissioner, ruled she didn’t find evidence supporting the allegations, concluding instead that Paradis was representing the concerns of his constituents, and didn’t mention the building when he spoke to the minister responsible for the jobs centre at the time, Diane Finley.

“I have determined that because the matter was of significant public interest and importance in Mr. Paradis’ constituency, and notwithstanding the fact that there was a possibility that his representations could result in furthering the private interests of Mr. Dionne, his representations, in the circumstances of this case, were not improper, and Mr. Paradis was not prohibited from intervening in this matter,” wrote Dawson.

This was not the first ethics complaint involving Paradis. In 2012, Dawson found Paradis was in a conflict of interest for arranging a meeting between former Tory MP Rahim Jaffer and government officials to discuss a business proposal in 2009.